U.S. clashes with China over Taiwan's place at the WHO table (updated)

EVA Airways

06/02/2020 08:14

* Taiwan says China providing wrong virus information to WHO
    * China says Taiwan responsible for any mistakes
    * WHO this week misreported Taiwan's virus case numbers
    * U.S. and China clash at WHO board; Japan also backs
observers

 (Updates with China reaction)
    By Ben Blanchard and Stephanie Nebehay
    TAIPEI/GENEVA, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The United States and China
clashed on Thursday over the issue of Taiwan's exclusion from
World Health Organization (WHO) meetings, where it is
represented by China, with Beijing accusing Washington of
political "hype-up".
    Earlier on Thursday, Taiwan accused China of providing the
WHO with wrong information about the number of coronavirus cases
on the island, after the WHO published incorrect case numbers
earlier this week.
    Andrew Bremberg, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, told
the WHO Executive Board in Geneva that the agency should deal
directly with Taiwan authorities.
    "It is a technical imperative that WHO present visible
public health data on Taiwan as an affected area and engage
directly with Taiwan public health authorities on actions," he
said.
    Japan appeared to support this. Ambassador Ken Okaniwa told
the forum: "We should not make a geographical vacuum by creating
a situation where a specific region cannot join WHO even as an
observer". 
    China responded sharply, with China's delegate saying there
is ample cooperation between China and Taiwan on the virus
epidemic and "we feel that the Chinese central government can
say it is very sincere in protecting the health and well-being
of Taiwan compatriots".
    "I would like to reiterate that Taiwan is part of China,
this fact cannot be changed," the delegate, Qi Daihai, said.
    Taiwan is not a WHO member because China, which views the 
island as a wayward Chinese province and not a country, says it
adequately represents Taiwan in the organisation.
    Democratically governed Taiwan says it is an independent
country called the Republic of China - its formal name - and has
never been part of the People's Republic of China.
    "China requests that the relevant countries should respect
the guidance of the chairman to strictly abide by the rules of
procedure of the conference," Qi told the Geneva forum.
    "And stop hyping-up about the so-called Taiwan issue. Don't
waste our time."
    On Tuesday, the WHO corrected the number of cases reported
on the island after having said there were 13. At the time
Taiwan had only 10. Taiwan said on Thursday there were now 16
cases.
    Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou told a news
conference that the crux of the problem was China giving the
wrong case number details to the WHO.
    "This was wrong information that was provided by China which
created the mistake," she said.
    "We beseech the WHO not to put Taiwan's information under
China, creating mistake after mistake after mistake."
    Taiwan says the main consequence of that so far has been
Italy including Taiwan in its ban on flights from China.
    China's foreign ministry, in a faxed statement to Reuters,
said the case numbers it reported to the WHO for Taiwan all came
from Taiwan's government.
    "If there are mistakes, this is the relevant authorities in
the Taiwan region deliberately reporting mistakes to us," it
said.         
    The WHO did not immediately respond to a request for comment
on the figures.

    <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From cruise liners to supply chains, China virus hurts   
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 (Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Stephanie Nebehay in
Geneva
Additional reporting by Gabriel Crossley in Beijing and David
Stanway in Shanghai
Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Frances Kerry)
 ((ben.blanchard@thomsonreuters.com;))